#kaito road 96

[danieesketches]

“I do believe there’s a role, a very big role, waiting for you in the Brigades.” … “Do you understand what I’m offering you?”

[hihikawas]

hi!!! could i get bi icons of kaito from road 96: mile 0? thank u so much!! i love ur stuff

Absolutely! Thank you for requesting again!!

Bisexual Kaito Icons for @bimalewife ! Hope you like them!

As usual, if you have any issues please let me know!!

[catboyminato]

they’re so 1975 coded actually

[sampoststuff]

Hello again! I managed to find some downtime within school work to finally get this finished! This has been sitting pretty much in my drafts since late November/December. In here, I take a look at the concept of Disenfranchised Grief, and how it affects all of the main cast with the Road 96 franchise! There are spoilers for the Prologue Book, About A Girl, and Road 96/Mile 0. Hope you all enjoy!

[deathishauntedbyhumans]

I couldn’t decide which version I liked more ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[pridebicons]

bi kaito pride icons

like/rb if using + credit

[yasamlynn]

and I spilled

[lasisgood]

My sister and I are playing road 96 mile 0 and we still hate Zoe.

Like apparently this is a sequel. But it's so bad. Zoe like we said she would. Just went back home to her rich father facing no consequences for her actions.

So since this is a sequel she doesn't acknowledge anything if the og road 96 except with "you were there weren't you" and it's like she left how many kids and killed at least 2.

Then decides doing this is too hard and goes back home.

We just don't like her. She's a wannabe. She wants to be on the road but it's nothing but a fun road trip to her. The other characters we played as in road 96 weren't doing this for funsies they were doing it for survival if they didn't make they didn't have homes to return to.

I laughed so hard when I found out his name is kaito. Because kaito from vocaloid is my boy and I love him. Me and my sister were like what are the chances. My playstation username is kaito something. The irony.

But I still hate Zoe. I'm not a fan of the mini games it reminded us of temple run. We're not very far into the game but we're still hoping to see all the characters.

I feel like this should've been a prequel than a sequel. And instead of Zoe they should've made it be like her sister or something. And the aftermath of Zoe either passing in the protest or escaping. And that could either radicalize her for the black brigades or set her in her view of Zoe was wrong and that tyrak is all there is and you shouldn't go against the grain.

This timeline is not making any sense

[rpgchoices]

Sometimes I really want to read a short summary of what to expect from a game… and thankfully people can also submit their summaries of games they played and help me (and others) find games that cater to their interests!

submitted by @lairofsentinel

(click here for other videogames)

what to expect from ROAD 96: Mile 0

Story-driven game with little to play, and more about picking options. 

This game is a prequel of Road 96. Here, we understand Zoe’s background in detail and the reason why she, as the daughter’s Petria’s oil minister, left the main city.  Zoe is a character we met in the previous game I've talked about before.

You play with 2 teenagers: Kaito, the son of an exploited working class parents, and Zoe, the daughter of the country’s oil minister. There is no customization.

In this game, we are focused on the City of Petria, a fantasy mixture of north of Mexico and communist Russia, where the tyranny is led by an “elected president called” Tyrak. Mainstream media is completely bought and altered by his party. I have done a criticism about the first game and the real world countries that inspired it. Nowadays, ironically, everything that was done as a criticism of communism [for example, Orwell’s stories] applies perfectly well as a criticism for capitalism, so I’m torn about this game and where it’s aiming for, specially when you know it's a French production.

It’s needless to say that this game has a high content criticizing our current democracy systems. There is also some room for questioning fanatic behaviour in either side: fascist fanatics as well as revolutionary fanatics. One can agree or disagree with the content of this game, but I like how it stimulates your thoughts and your questions.

Its narrative is a lot simpler than in the first game.

We find and meet some of the characters we saw in the previous game too; like the only reporter of the city, Sonya; the kind policewoman Fany, the tired revolutionary John, or the genius kid who is on the road, Alex.

The game loosely presents the previous game’s  3 alignments: revolutionary, moderate, and mainstream. But they seem to be less tight than in the previous game.

This game has a lot of minigames that may end up being very annoying. 

Among the minigames, and as transitions between big acts in the storytelling, we have something called “rides”, in which Kaito and Zoe do a race in high speed in skater or roll skates. Despite being a beautiful, artistic resources, in which we are delighted with amazing music, fast-pace movement, colour and aesthetics according to the part of the story we are exploring [therefore, it has deep meaning and symbolism], they tend to be performed a bit off. There are a lot of camera changes you don’t control that make these rides a bit more challenging that they should be. For a nice compilation of all these rides, check this video [tons of spoilers, though]. I personally love this ride in particular, when the same tyrant politician who developed a police state a la Big Brother and controls and exploits the worker class to death in oil towns is elected again for 10 years more. 

The game has decent graphics without asking you to have a NASA computer. 

Game fully voiced.

Several different endings, I can count around 9, depending on the last scene choices, which are available depending on how much reputation as revolutionary, moderate, questioning or mainstream you were along the game.   

Short game, around 5 hours of gameplay.

——- Plot? ——-

You play as Zoe or Kaito, living in the city of White Sands, where the president, the oil minister, and the flashy reporter Sonya live. The main plot revolves about the friendship between Zoe and Kaito, and how the class difference and reality affects their perspectives and relationship so deeply. 

——- Gameplay? ——- 

You interact with the NPCs and the environment in a way that increase or decrease your moderation, mainstream support, or revolutionary views.  Sometimes there are boring, annoying mini games as the story progresses.

——- Characters? ——- 

Mainly Kaito and Zoe. 

 ——- LGBT? ——-

Nothing, so far I perceived. 

——- Sadness level? ——- 

Low, but keeps you thinking.

——- Happy ending? Deaths? ——-

There may be deaths depending on your choices. The endings are always bittersweet or bad. Zoe always leaves the city since she is found in the previous game on the road.

[limentum]

Road 96: Mile 0 and the Complications of Life

Road 96 is a 2021 video game letting you experience the thrill of hitchhiking across a fictional country in 1996. The journey begins from your goal to escape Petria’s authoritarian regime. You will meet different characters and make choices with potentially drastic consequences while discovering secrets along the way. The way the game unfolds is procedurally generated to a degree. By the end of the game, you will have experienced the journeys of several teenagers. Your choices culminate over time – meaning that your story can change from play-through to play-through. In the two years since, the developers at DigixArt released a new game expanding the world, subtitled “Mile 0.”

Road 96: Mile 0

The game is a prequel to the previously mentioned critically acclaimed video game, which released April 4th, 2023. It gives you a glimpse into how the nation of Petria was before the events of the main game. It also sets up some of the characters you run into further down the line. If you are looking for a fun and immersive narrative adventure game with a retro vibe, Road 96: Mile 0 might be for you. In the original game, you followed a series of random teens on a road trip to escape Petria. The plot of this prequel however focuses heavily on the daughter of Petria’s Minister of Oil, Zoe Muller. It follows her life right before she embarked on her journey to escape Petria and introduces a brand-new character. Well, brand new to the world of Road 96, anyway.

Kaito

Kaito is a teen living in the less-privileged side in Petria’s most luxurious gated community by the name of White Sands. He is best friends with Zoe, living in the posh side of town alongside influential individuals like President Tyrak and Sonya Sanchez. Both him and his parents are workers for the city, doing various work as needed by the city and residents. Kaito had to deal directly with the consequences of Tyrak’s rule due his past in Colton City. This led to a more rebellious perspective on his future in Petria. As a result, Kaito tries to challenge Zoe’s beliefs and show her the reality of the country.

Also, Kaito is a character brought over from DigixArt’s first game “Lost in Harmony.” His design looks a lot better in this one too. Kaito’s journey in Road 96: Mile 0 ultimately tests his friendship with Zoe and his own values.

Gameplay in Road 96: Mile 0

Due to Mile 0 being a prequel, it seems a given that this entry borrows some gameplay and mechanics from Road 96. This effectively is the half of the game where you explore the world in first person. It also ends up being where much of the story develops. On top of this, players alternate between the roles of Zoe and Kaito throughout the narrative. Zoe was one of the protagonists you met on your journey in Road 96 as a nameless teenager.

Is there any new gameplay in this sequel?

The game involves a mixture of narrative and musical track-based skating segments, where players will have to make choices that affect the story and the fate of Zoe and Kaito. The musical segments can be an intense experience at times, putting players into the inner worlds of the two protagonists. These skating segments occur in a near-cyclical nature.

You ride and dodge your way through some beautiful psychedelic tracks at the end of each major story event. The moment-to-moment action of these sections is a bit reminiscent of such mobile gaming titles as Subway Surfers or Temple Run, with more production value. However, I found myself very engaged during these moments. To the extent that I dedicated an extra two hours after I completed the story to unlock the achievement for attaining S+ rank on every track. There may be a chance it is concerning that it took me that much time to achieve this. The gameplay here might be a tad simplistic if you’re intently familiar with that style of game. But I found it to be engaging, and even challenging at times.

“The rides are designed to be highly replayable – there is a score system that shows your precision like rhythm games, but also some narrative choices and hidden shortcuts. But don’t worry, for the more chilled players, you can skip those rides so that you’re not blocked from story progression.” - From “Road 96: Mile 0 – How the New Psychedelic Rides Work,” by Yoan Fanise, Creative Director at DigixArt.

Petria and Its People

The prequel features a few of the colourful individuals you met during Road 96. This gives a chance to experience another perspective of the unstable country. The world feels a lot more alive from this point of view. Your character has more of a place in the world. This might be because your playable characters have an identity and voice actor this time around. For the record, they still opt to not voice the character you actively play. The first playable character Zoe only has voiced dialogue during cut-scenes, musical segments, or when playing as Kaito.

I would argue that it helps with the flow of gameplay. It means you don’t have to listen every line of dialogue you already read out and selected. But Road 96: Mile 0 is a story about the conflict and growth between two well-meaning friends. Because of that, the conversations can feel a bit awkward at times.

What’s changed

Is this a problem?

*Spoilers until "Is it worth a try?"*

Akin to the original title, Mile 0 offers the impression that your choices can have a significant impact on the outcome of your story. While this is true to an extent, it only really results in about three or four different endings. Only two endings also have any major difference in their result. Zoe’s choices will either drive her closer to Petria’s regime, or further against it. During your time with Kaito, his choices will either push him into becoming a violent revolutionary with the Black Brigades, or more of a freethinker who simply wants to escape with his family. So yes, the narrative is much more linear than you might expect.

The game suffers from a bit of predetermination due to being a prequel. TVTropes speaks on this issue where prequels are forced to adhere to the canon of the original story. This results in actions from characters that might seem unrealistic, or way too coincidental. You might recall that Zoe is on her own by the time you meet her in Road 96. Due to this, it felt clear that her friendship with Kaito was fated to halt in some form or another. Some of this conflict between friends felt a bit forced as well for story purposes.

In the beginning of Mile 0, Zoe is already a tad checked out from her life in Petria. She doesn’t have a great relationship with her dad, and her mom left years ago. Because of this, Kaito ends up being the only anchor in Zoe’s life that she can rely on. This wonderfully sets up a plot event later in the game when Kaito goes against Zoe’s wish to escape Petria with his family, for their safety. It seems perfectly believable that Kaito, a rebellious but loving teen, would be slightly more concerned with his own well-being than his friend’s – especially considering she lives such a privileged life in White Sands. Even if it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows for her time there.

Themes

The story evokes a sense of regret, hope, and inevitability. It seems almost obvious that Kaito and Zoe weren’t meant to last together in Petria. Zoe’s elite status makes her a hot target if she were to ever go on the run, and Kaito’s family isn’t well-equipped to be on the country’s most-wanted list. The overarching narrative of the game follows Kaito’s hope to teach Zoe the truth about Petria’s corrupt government. Throughout my play-through, I consistently made choices that drove Zoe to become a more freethinking person. However, Zoe ends up making some choices at the end of the game that are impossible to change. Due to how open-minded I chose Zoe to act throughout the story, it felt a bit outlandish for her to take such drastic action during the game’s closing chapter.

All Zoe was really looking for was someone who could understand and support her. But when Kaito abandoned Zoe in White Sands with just a letter, it drove her a bit past the breaking point.

So, is Road 96: Mile 0 worth a try?

If anything I wrote here seemed appealing to you, I’d recommend trying it out. If you know anything about me, you know I’m a sucker for narrative games of any kind. But this takes the narrative aspects of Road 96 a step further with much more fleshed out characters. Unlike its predecessor, Road 96: Mile 0 isn’t available on Xbox Game Pass at the time of writing. There is a notably low cost to entry, though. The title launched at well under twenty dollars, even offering a special discounted launch price to some of those who played the original game.

Conclusion

There were places where the experience could have been better, despite my obviously positive feelings. The game stayed a bit small-scoped with the lives of Zoe and Kaito. Don’t mistake my words here, I loved the entire time spent with these two characters. But it all feels like it could have added up to a bit more. It would have added to the overarching narrative and gameplay if they went more in-depth on how these two survived having to live in a place like White Sands. Kaito was a great character throughout the game. His choices and general demeanour throughout the narrative felt very in-line with a teen in his position.

It would help immensely to expand on some gameplay narrative sections. This could tangibly mean adding stealth segments, or slightly more intricate puzzles. Gameplay sections that provide a bit more meaning to the first-person exploration side of the game would make a much more engaging experience. Even with unchanged gameplay, they could have gone more in-depth with a lengthier story overall. This obviously wasn’t feasible due to requiring a bigger budget. The main gripe I noticed so far online is that some actions from these characters feel a bit out of place. I wouldn’t say I necessarily agree. Audiences weren’t given enough time to spend with Zoe and Kaito. If they were, it would have given DigixArt the chance to really set up the personalities and tendencies of these characters in a believable way.

[danieesketches]

the first set of many memes I intend on drawing for Road 96.

many thanks to @sampoststuff for inspiring these with your memes in the discord group.

[eat-sleep-breathe-drum]

Finished road 96 mile 0. My hot take is that Kaito was always in the right.

[fridge-reviews]

Road 96: Mile 0

Developer: Digixart Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified Rrp: £10.96 (Humble and Epic), £11.96 (Gog.com, Steam)

Last year I finally got around to playing Road 96 and it ended up becoming one of my favourite games of the year due to its well crafted and highly engaging story. So when I found out that the developers had created a new game in the same universe, a prequel no less I couldn’t help but find my interest piqued.

As I mentioned earlier this is a prequel to Road 96 where you play as one of the other characters you meet on the road, specifically a character called Zoe. You also play as another, new, character named Kaito. These two are from different backgrounds, Zoe is the daughter of a high ranking politician and lives luxury while Kaito is the son of two low level workers who effectively live in a slum. This is the story of how Zoe ended up out of that luxury and on the road trying to escape the country.

Now on its own merits this game is… fine, and sadly that’s the best I can truly give it. It absolutely fails to achieve what Road 96 did and I feel that this is in large part due to the fact it’s a prequel. The game is constrained by what narratively has to come next in Road 96, as such many of the stakes presented to you just don’t feel that meaningful. I also can’t ignore the fact that this game has a lot of QTE’s for the length of it and really liked to throw a skating mini game within each chapter. I get that these mini games were supposed to represent the character performing a task or dealing with their mental state but it felt so strange when compared to Road 96. Sure, that game has some goofiness to it but it wasn’t as concentrated as this.

Do I feel it’s worth playing? That’s a difficult question for me to answer. I won’t lie, I felt disappointed by this game. I’m glad I got to know some of the backstory to Zoe but this whole game just felt a bit lacklustre.

----

If you’d like to support me I have a Ko-fi, the reviews will continue to be posted donation or not.

[sampoststuff]

Meant to post this a while ago, but I drew Zoe and Kaito in anticipation for Mile 0! I can’t wait to play this game when it comes out

[deathishauntedbyhumans]

Tagged by @forfuckssakejim <3

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

This is an insane thing to ask me to do…………. I CANNOT list all of them bc I have many many many wips in my wip folder that are tired and deadish and that I don’t know if or think I’ll ever manage to finish HOWEVER! I will list relevant and currentish ones. Good lord.

BG3

adoption

astarion post game

astarion?

Lathander’s Light

my girlfriend and i saw u from across the bar

this one is the porn one

wyllstarion

Road 96

Body count

Fanny_John

Hrhch

Kaito

no hinges

Uh oh

Ultimatum

Misc

Love Songs and Lullabyes (Breath of the Wild)

RICK (Portal)

gomens again (Good Omens)

movie rwrb (Red White and Royal Blue)

I’m not tagging 18 people ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But y’all are welcome to send asks abt these <3 I will tag @sampoststuff @mc-tummy-blur @bimbobrock and @indigomuunz if y’all wanna do it! And anyone else who feels like they’d like to ^•^

[youraveragedeltafan]

First book spoilers ahead! (please tell me there's prequel book fans, I can't stop thinking about it)

The first Road 96 prequel book is the most interesting thing in the tri-state area to me because of Robert, John, and the fact that it's kinda left up to interpretation whether or not Jarod was a good dad. There is a scenario in which he slaps Lola. Was it just that one instance or a pattern? (and a reason why Robert, a former teacher, could manipulate her into running away)

It's clear that Robert looks for vulnerable people to take advantage of, like Kaito's family and the Kims later on after they join. Notably, we know for almost a fact that both Naomi and Stephen were having second thoughts about the "plan" (I feel like ppl forget that the Brigades didn't cause the attack in '86 but they did try). It's clear that all the adults with Lola were self aware too, as they bring up their concerns about her being in danger at least once.

But here's the interesting part-it's not all Robert (In fact, he's said to have gone missing in dialogue, right before the attack too. How convenient). I know that it's said in the game that John used to be like him, but I think it's in a whole other lens reading it in the prequel. To me, it almost adds more to his guilt in the game when seeing him be kinda mean to Lola or manipulate Naomi and Stephen (who legit have a 5 year old with them) into going through with their mission despite everything.

Anyway, that's why the book is very funni and good and adds to the game. Read it if you haven't. Yes I'm talking to you random person who doesn't care about spoilers and read this because new post in the road 96 tag (Me. I am calling myself out)

Oh, also Stan and Mitch can potentially do the stupidest thing in the world, and they BOTH do it no matter who you side with so it PROVES that they share one braincell depending on who you're nice to. I know I like to write Stan as if he never has done a violence in his life, but he shoots his gun at the most random crap in the book and at the worst times. He is responsible for at least 2 game overs that I know of and it's funny every time

Side note: I really want to add the wacky misadventures Florres had in the book into the wiki but I am too distracted by other stuff atm and also are the books even canon??